Arlington businessman Victor Vandergriff announced Wednesday that he is leaving the North Texas Tollway Authority board, a position he has held since 2007.
Vandergriff, 55, who previously served as chairman, served during a time when key projects were delivered, including the Sam Rayburn Tollway in Denton and Collin counties, and the western extension of the President George Bush Turnpike, a key route to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.On Wednesday afternoon, when reached by phone Vandergriff, said now was a good time to leave the board and that his decision to step down had nothing to do with his possible interest in running for mayor of Arlington, a position his father, the late Tom Vandergriff, held for 26 years."It had no impact on any future plans I might or might not have," regarding the upcoming May 11 elections, Vandergriff said.Mayor Robert Cluck, who has served in that post for the past 10 years, has not officially announced his plans to run for a sixth term this year.Vandergriff will leave the board at the end of the month.First appointed to the board in 2007, Vandergriff was chairman in 2010 and 2011, taking over from Paul Wageman of Plano, who guided the agency through tremendous growth but was sometimes criticized for aggressive management.Considered more of a consensus builder, Vandergriff tried to unify the board but was unable to pass through sweeping changes on the tollway authority's reliance on a small number of legal, engineering and other professional firms to do virtually all of its day-to-day work.In 2011 Vandergriff stepped down as chair and was replaced by former Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr. He stayed on the board even after his appointment as one of two Tarrant County representatives expired four months ago."We cannot thank Victor enough for the countless hours he has dedicated to working on NTTA projects that increase mobility for North Texas drivers," Barr told the crowd after board members gave him a standing ovation during its meeting in Plano on Wednesday.During his tenure, Vandergriff also oversaw conversion of the region's tollways to an all-electronic form of collection -- essentially doing away with the toll booths -- and the beginning of construction on the 28-mile Chisholm Trail Parkway project from Interstate 30 near downtown Fort Worth to U.S. 67 in Cleburne. Chisholm Trail Parkway is scheduled for completion in 2014.More recently, Vandergriff was trying to secure construction of the Texas 360 extension south of Arlington-Mansfield to U.S. 287, a project that remains under study but lacks funding. Vandergriff said he is convinced the project will proceed. Supporters hope the work can begin in 2014 or 2015."I feel very, very good that this is going to happen," Vandergriff said. "My mission to get 360 across the goal line is just about there."Vandergriff is also chairman of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which he helped build from the ground up after it was created by the Legislature in 2009. The DMV maintains vehicle registrations, regulates auto dealers and issues vehicle oversize/overweight permits. Vandergriff is still DMV board chairman as of Wednesday afternoon.Both the tollway authority board and DMV board positions are unpaid, and Vandergriff has said that serving on both has been a "big strain."In private life, Vandergriff is an attorney and private businessman specializing in business development and legislative issues.Vandergriff formerly served as vice president of V.T. Inc. and Automotive Investment Group, which is described as one of the largest private retail automotive group in the United States.The Vandergriff family has owned and operated automobile dealerships for more than eight decades in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.Vandergriff has been mentioned as a possible political candidate in the past. In 2011, he was endorsed by former State Sen. Chris Harris, R-Arlington, as his successor. Ultimately, Vandergriff did not seek the office and state Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, was elected last year.Gordon Dickson, 817-390-7796Twitter: @gdicksonSusan Schrock, 817-709-7578Twitter: @susanschrockHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
